By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

Summer must have started because Memorial Day has come and gone.  Today is July-like — humid, rather warm, and breezy. (This informational tome of wisdom and snarkiness is still human generated, which means a deadline exists prior to the first of the month — hence the less-than-timely observation.)  It is threatening to rain, but the credibility of the threat is nonexistent.

Meanwhile the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is trying its best to discern exactly what season it is and what it should do about it.  Current cohabitating contributors to the conspicuously colorful collection of organisms with cellulose cell walls include lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), orange daylilies (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis), wand flower (Oenothera lindheimeri, formerly known as Gaura lindheimeri), gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella), Asiatic lily (Lilium x ‘Corsica’), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and prairie coneflower/Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera).  The English daisies (Bellis perennis), flax (Linum usitatissimum), larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum), and sweet William (Dianthus barbatus ‘Sweet Black Cherry’) are carry-overs from last month.

Left to right: New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) (Image credit Debbie Roos CC BY 2.0); black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis), (Image credits Gary Crispell),

Others new to the conspicuously colorful collection are New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), and love-in-the-mist (Nigella damascena – a total surprise hidden amongst the larkspur).  A decidedly delightful display, if I do say so myself.

The weather continues to be perplexing.  Do we garden in jeans or shorts — sweatshirt, tee shirt, or layered?  Too many decisions.

Thought for the month: If a beverage containing alcohol is a potent potable, is a non-alcoholic beverage impotent?  LET’S GARDEN!!!

Lawn Care

Because I realize there are some of you out there who are too busy/new to the Piedmont of NC/not paying attention/just plain horticulturally uneducated, I am urging you to fertilize your warm-season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia) now, as in right now.  April or May would have been just fine, but now it is mandatory.  You will know how much and what formulation because you got a FREE SOIL TEST earlier.  (No.  Probably not, as you have not fertilized yet.  All excuses from above, I suppose.)  Remember that soil tests are free from April through November.  Contact the NC Cooperative Extension office at 919-560-0525 for more information on obtaining a free soil test kit with instructions. If you insist on winging it, 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turf is a safe application rate.

Extension Horticulture Agent Jeana Myers from NC State Extension demonstrates how to collect a soil test. (Video credit: Homegrown YouTube Channel from NC State Extension).

June is THE month to fertilize centipede grass.  The 1 pound per 1,000 sq. ft. rate applies to centipede as well.

Summer is a good time to core aerate¹ any lawn.  Aeration facilitates air, water, and nutrient movement through the soil and to the root zone.

Always wanted a zoysia grass lawn?  June is a really good month to start one.  You will need to use sod or plugs, as zoysia seeds are not commercially available.

Fertilizing

Dogwoods (Cornus spp.) can be fertilized now.  Again, a FREE SOIL TEST and its resulting recommendations would be helpful here — too many variables for general guidance.

Throw a handful of 10-10-10 or equivalent at the plants in the veggie garden.  It will assist the quantity and quality of your anticipated harvest.

Planting

All of y’all who have been waiting for warm weather to plant your vegetable garden better hustle up now.  It is here and gone and come again.  So, if you want tomatoes before Labor Day…  At this point it is necessary to install plants rather than seeds for most vegetables other than beans and maybe pumpkins.

For those of you who plan ahead, it is time to start seeds for your fall/winter garden.  Cruciferous veggies (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards) can be started now to be transplanted in mid-July.  For more information on fall vegetable gardening read more about year round gardening on our blog.

Pruning

Coniferous² evergreens such as pine, juniper, chamaecyparis (Chamaecyparis spp.), and cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica) can be lightly pruned now.  Be aware that they generally do not produce new foliage beneath a pruning cut.

Hedges and any severely overgrown plants can be radically cut back.  The book says never more than one-third of the top, but anecdotally I can tell you that many broadleaf evergreens and deciduous shrubs can be reduced to 18 inches or so and recover nicely.  (The author, the publication, the Extension Master Gardener ^SMprogram, NC State Cooperative Extension, and the university assume no liability for plants that do not recover.)

Continue to pinch back garden mums (Chrysanthemum × morifolium) until mid-July if it is fall blooms you desire.  If you do not care when they bloom, well, good for you, you rebel.

Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) can be pruned as soon as the blooms fade.

Azaleas, including Encore® cultivars, can be pruned anytime from bloom fade through the 4th of July.

Rhododendron dieback from Botryosphaeria dothidea (Image credit: Elizabeth Bush, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org)

Dieback can occur in ericaceous³ plants in early summer.  Rhododendrons, including azaleas, pieris (Pieris spp.), and others can be infected by the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea or a Phomopsis spp. fungus.  Scraping away the bark with a knife reveals a reddish-brown discoloration under the bark on dying branches of rhododendron. On azaleas, the discolored wood under the bark appears chocolate brown. Prune infected branches well below the point of infection and sterilize your pruning tools between cuts with a 10% bleach solution or 70% isopropyl alcohol.  (Good gracious, NO — not the 140-proof vodka.)  Destroy all clippings.

Spraying

Be on the lookout for the following dastardly destructive six- and eight-legged pests: lace bugs (azaleas, pyracantha), leaf miners (boxwoods), spider mites (needle-leaf evergreens), bagworms (mostly, but not exclusively, on needle-leaf evergreens), and aphids on anything they can get their pointy little mouthparts into.

There are numerous pest-control products available.  Try organic products first.  The planet is counting on you.

Japanese beetle adult and leaf damage (Image credit: Steve Schoof, NCSU)

June is prime Japanese beetle time.  (Contrary to popular myth, they do not sing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in Japanese while devouring your roses and crape myrtles.)  Treat them with an appropriate pesticide or pick them off and drown them.  Smush them if it gives you satisfaction.  (Personally, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”)  You will find additional help in this previous blog post – Coping During Japanese Beetle “Season.”

Be aware of tomato early blight.  It shows up as brown spots on the lower leaves, followed by yellowing around the spots; eventually the whole leaf will usually turn yellow and drop.  There are several products available to treat early blight, some with a zero-days-to-harvest rating.

Vegetable gardens are susceptible to a myriad of pests.  Lots of insects (and other genera) like the fruits of your labor as much as you do — and they outnumber us.  There are multiple species of worms seeking sustenance from your cruciferous veggies.  Then there are the cucurbit lovers: cucumber beetles on (believe it or not) cucumbers and other cucurbits, squash borers on most squash varieties and melons.  You might also find flea beetles (they do not sing either) on any bean species, plus tomatoes and eggplant.  And let us not forget the ubiquitous aphids.

Continue spray programs for roses, fruit trees, and bunch grapes.

Use pesticides only when necessary.  ALWAYS read the label and follow the instructions.  Try organic first.

Miscellaneous Stuff to Do Outside in June

A word about watering.  Sometime this summer you will find it necessary to supplement Mother Nature’s somewhat capricious watering schedule.  Plants, including lawn grasses, need about one inch of water per week to sustain growth.  It is best applied in the early morning to minimize evaporative loss.  Evening watering is acceptable if leaf surfaces will be dry before nightfall — damp leaves promote disease. More information on drought-related watering is available in this previous blog post.

Alas, strawberry season is over.  It is appropriate now to renovate those beds in preparation for September planting.

Once you have exhausted the day’s to-do list (and most likely yourself), take time to kick back and enjoy the garden.  Outdoor living spaces were made for June evenings — food, family, friends, firepit, and a cool beverage (to go with the s’mores, silly).  That is what it is all about.  As T.S. Eliot wrote in “Choruses from “The Rock” (1934): “There is no life that is not in community.”  Find your community and welcome summer.

Notes

1-Core aeration is the mechanical removal of small plugs of soil and thatch from a lawn, improving air, water, and nutrient penetration to grass roots.

2-Coniferous refers to cone-bearing evergreen trees and shrubs, such as pines, junipers, and firs.

3-Ericaceous refers to plants in or adapted to the conditions preferred by the heath family (Ericaceae), which thrive in acidic soils. Rhododendrons, azaleas, blueberries, and pieris are common examples.

Resources and Additional Information

A how-to on preparing your (free until November!) soil test: Now’s the Perfect Time to Test Your Soil! – Durham County Center | N.C. Cooperative Extension

Helpful information on summer and fall vegetable gardening: Vegetable Gardening 101 – Gardening | NC State Extension and previous blog post Garden Veggies Year Round – One Gardener’s Calendar

More about rhododendron and azalea dieback and other diseases: Azalea & Rhododendron Diseases in South Carolina: Identification, Prevention, and Treatment | Home & Garden Information Center

Learn more about Japanese beetle management here: Japanese Beetle | NC State Extension Publications and previous blog post Coping During Japanese Beetle “Season”

Guidance for drought-related watering strategies: Essential Gardening Tips for Drought Conditions

Edited by Susan Sharp, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

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